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Neighbors of a coal-fired power plant in Monroe County are suing the plant’s owners, Georgia Power and Southern Company. People who live near Plant Scherer have for years complained of ailments consistent with exposure to heavy metals found in coal.

Nuclear power opponents are alleging Solyndra-style problems in the $8 billion federal loan guarantee for Georgia's Vogtle nuclear reactor project. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy says high-level political appointees have interfered with key decisions in the delayed and over-budget nuclear plant. The alliance says the project received favorable loan terms that are out-of-sync with the present market.

A 300 ton container vessel for a new nucelear reactor at Plant Vogtle is still sitting at the Port of Savannah -- a month after workers tried unsuccessfully to move it by rail. A spokesman for Southern Company, building the nuclear plant, says when the train left the port on December 15th, the vessel's rail platform shifted. Public information on the incident is scant.

Last year was the first year in Southern Company’s 100 year history that the company used more natural gas than coal to generate electricity. But while natural gas is cheap and plentiful, the company isn’t willing to convert all its plants to natural gas.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given a Georgia utility permission to change the design of a nuclear power plant under construction, resolving a conflict over the installation of metal bars.

Southern Co. has reported its most recent costs to build a new nuclear plant in Georgia amid questions over whether the project can stay on budget. The Atlanta-based utility filed a report Friday with Georgia's Public Service Commission covering spending for the six-month period ending in June.

Georgia Power has launched a new consumer website as part of the company's solar energy initiatives. The site is intended to help business and residential consumers decide whether solar energy is "right for them," according to the company's Wednesday announcement.